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| No matter how you cook it, turkey's great |
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By: LISA MARCHESONI, Senior Writer
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Posted: Sunday, November 22, 2009 7:09 am
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When it comes to preparing Thanksgiving turkeys, Jeremy Weaver prefers smoked ones while Sam Hatcher prefers fried ones.
They’ll prepare about 15 turkeys each for their individual tastes for the upcoming Thanksgiving celebration with families and friends.
Weaver and his father, Jerry, of Dreamweaver BBQ of Murfreesboro, bought a mobile smoker built on a trailer for smoking meats five years ago. They started barbecuing for family gatherings and small events before competing in BBQ contests and winning.
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em
“We can compete,” Weaver said. “We’re pretty good.”
He took a smoked turkey to his wife Kirsten’s family for Thanksgiving several years ago and started a family tradition. Fourteen other families will rely on Weaver’s smoked turkeys for Thanksgiving this year. |
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You've got to get marinade where it has most impact
Murfreesboro Post Publisher Mike Pirtle is an avid meat and poultry smoker.
For smoking turkeys, Pirtle said the key is to get the spices and marinade where they can have the most affect:
Pull up the skin on the top of the turkey breast on either side, slice about an inch opening and carefully use finger to separate skin and membrane from meat. Use a piece of apple under skin to create space and pour marinade in.
The flavorings are infused directly into the meat during the cooking process. For the leg quarters, cut straight down through the thigh into the leg, careful not to pierce all the way through, insert apple piece and pour in marinade.
“I use fresh garlic, olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper, Kikkoman, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice,” Pirtle said.
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“I charge enough to pay for the turkeys and replenish my wood pile,” Weaver explained.
He uses about 85 percent hickory and about 15 percent pecan for smoking turkeys.
“If you smoke it correctly and with the right kind of wood, the smoke is going to flavor the meat correctly,” he observed.
Weaver plans to purchase fresh turkeys about 2 a.m. Tuesday, wash the poultry, brush on olive oil and a blend of six to eight dry spices on the outside. He places the unwrapped turkeys in the smoker. He doesn’t inject the turkey with spices because he believes the bird would lose natural juices.
“The best thing to do is put it in there and leave it alone,” Weaver recommended.
Don’t open the smoker or check on it for 10 hours. The smoke passes through the turkey twice before traveling out of the chamber.
“The smoke is actually penetrating the meat,” Weaver explained. “Smoked turkeys should show a pink ring on the outside known in the BBQ world as the smoke ring. It’s a good characteristic of good smoked meat.”
Turkeys should be crusty brown on the outside when done. Sometimes, the poultry skin has to be covered with foil so it won’t burn. He sprays a mixture of apple juice and vinegar to keep it moist.
“It’s generally more tender than if you baked or grilled it,” Weaver said.
People who want to smoke turkeys can buy a smoker from a retail or home improvement store.
The most common mistake of new “smokers” is checking the meat too often or getting the fire too hot so it grills instead of smokes. A whole chicken usually takes 30 to 40 minutes per pound.
Longtime customers Jason Mathis and Todd Sparks frequently order turkeys from Dreamweaver.
Mathis said the turkey has a unique taste.
“My family loved it,” Mathis said. “They thought it was wonderful.”
Sparks described Weaver’s smoked turkeys as excellent.
“I would consider his turkeys to be competition grade,” Sparks said.
Besides turkeys, Dreamweaver BBQ smokes pork barbecue, pork ribs, chicken, thighs and wings for Super Bowl parties, beef brisket and pork tenderloin. They make their own sauces.
Fried turkey fans
Lebanon native Sam Hatcher, 78, now of Pontiac, Mich., will be frying up about 15 turkeys next week when he visits daughter Robbie Jackson of Murfreesboro.
“I betcha I’ve been frying them 10 to 12 years,” Hatcher said during a telephone interview. “It tastes good. It’s juicy. Just don’t overcook it.”
Hatcher starts with turkeys weighing about 14 pounds in two different fryers, one with a basket and another that holds the turkey with a stick-like rod.
“Make sure the turkey is thawed up with no water,” Hatcher said, explaining water on or inside a turkey will cause the hot oil to boil out and start a fire. “Some people run but if that happens, cut your gas off.”
Once dried, Hatcher recommends cooks to “shoot him up with seasonings or put seasonings inside. I use black pepper and seasoning salts. The best is shooting up with seasonings.”
Spread a little flour on the outside to crust up the skin.
“It makes him look better,” Hatcher advised.
Fry the turkey five minutes per pound in about 2-1/2 to 3 gallons of peanut oil preheated to 250 to 300 degrees.
“Vegetable oil is all right,” he said, but quickly recommended, “If you’re going to fry a whole lot of them, use peanut oil because it will last longer.”
Don’t overcook the turkey.
“It’s real tender,” Hatcher said of the frying method. “The meat over the wings will be falling off. You let it cool and carve it just like a regular turkey.”
Jackson said her father will start cooking turkeys in her backyard Wednesday off Thompson Lane.
How good are her father’s fried turkeys?
“Let me put it to you. If you don’t like turkey and you eat fried turkey, you’ll love it,” Jackson said. “If you don’t like turkey because it’s dry, you’ll love it.”
Whether there’s a few people or a lot of people eating the fried turkeys, “there’s nothing but the bones left,” Jackson said.
Lisa Marchesoni may be reached at 869-0814 or at lmarchesoni@murfreesboropost.com. |
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Member Opinions:
By: acdsrool on 11/22/09
Sounds good but the easiest way I've found to cook a turkey is to clean it and then pat it dry, stuff it with a stick of butter and add seasoning salts to taste, then put it in a covered roaster at 500 degrees (preheated!) for one hour. Make sure it is sealed in the roaster really well and if necessary, put aluminum foil over the top to create a tight seal. Once it has cooked for 1 hour at 500 degrees turn the oven off and leave it over night. DO NOT REMOVE IT FROM THE OVEN AND DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO OPEN IT UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING! The heat will continue to cook the bird and you'll have a really juicy turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner. M-m-m...I can hardly wait! (Of course, the bigger the bird the longer it needs to sit but for one about 12 lbs then I cook it one hour the night before, starting around 7:00 p.m. and then let it sit until 8:00 or so the next morning before checking it.) Good luck!
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